Trincomalee in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is valued for its perfect all-season harbour. Admiral Nelson called it 'the finest harbour in the world'. The Portuguese built a fort there in 1624, at the base of a high rock, known as Swami Rock. The Dutch captured it in 1639. Rebuilt in 1665, it changed hands a number of times among the French, British and Dutch, who competed for its anchorage over the next 200 years. Most Dutch economic activity and military presence was in Galle and Colombo, so the town remained small. In January 1782 the British and the French captured the fort. At the Peace of Paris in 1784 the French returned Trincomalee to the VOC (Dutch East India Company). In 1795 the British arrived in Ceylon for their final takeover.

The importance of the harbour declined in the 19th century. During the Second World War, though, it was the home base for the combined East Asian fleets of the Allied powers. Very little development took place on the East Coast, and it is still the poorest part of the country.

This miniature has been known as the ‘Dutch Governor of Trincomalee’ since it first came to the Museum in 1910. It is dated 1780.